The present invention relates to input devices with a rotational element, such as a thumbwheel on a mouse.
Mice have been designed with various scrolling wheels on top, and sometime have a thumb wheel on the side. One example is Logitech U.S. Pat. No. 8,686,944, which shows a thumb wheel used for zoom and other features. The thumb wheel can be pressed for a button activation. Other embodiments of a thumbwheel are described in Logitech Pub. 20070188455, which also describes the prior art below.
A switch or dial on the side of a mouse that can be activated by a thumb has been described in many different designs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,632 shows a track ball that can be manipulated by a user's thumb. Microsoft U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,344 shows a thumb wheel which is an elongated roller that can be depressed by pivoting around one end for a clicking switch. U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,725 shows a mouse with a side, thumb actuated rotational transducer for controlling microscope focus. The transducer generates a pulse train proportional to the rotational angle.
Primax U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,038 shows a number of different thumb actuated switches for the side of a mouse, including a ball, a microstick and a dial. The dial using two tuning disks with variable capacitance. Primax U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,473 shows a mouse with a side, thumb actuated dial which encodes using electrical brushes. The dial can be depressed for a click switch function. IBM U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,029 shows a side thumb dial on a mouse.
Alps U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,713 shows, as prior art, a mouse with an automatic return sliding switch between the buttons on the top of a mouse. This patent goes on to show a jog/shuttle switch on the front and side of a mouse. These switches are wheels, located on top of each other, with a jog switch providing continuous pulses in accordance with rotation of the jog dial, while a shuttle switch provides pulses corresponding to the rotational angle and direction.
Armstrong U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,473 shows forward and backward pressure sensitive buttons on the side of a mouse in FIG. 32, with varied speeds of video frame rates depending on the amount of pressure applied. Primax U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,619 shows a rounded control button which can be tilted in x-y directions to produce scrolling. The '619 patent also shows a bidirectional thumb button on the side of a mouse for controlling zoom.
Logitech U.S. Pat. No. 7,623,116, “Roller with Multiple Force Sense Levels,” shows a roller which can pivot with two levels of force activating two stage buttons or pressure sensitive buttons. Logitech U.S. Pat. No. 6,879,316 shows a scroll wheel with pressure sensitive buttons on either side for activating continuous scrolling.
Proximity detection in a mouse, such as to awaken a mouse from sleep mode when a user's hand approaches, is shown in Logitech U.S. Pat. No. 6,859,196.
Smart phones and tablets use touch screens with a variety of gestures used for input controls. There have been attempts to incorporate gesture capability on other input devices. For example, Logitech Pub. No. 20130120259 describes a solid state touch sensor for a user's thumb on a mouse, enabling gesture detection.
A challenge with implementing a mechanical thumb roller on the side of a mouse is fitting the needed components in the available space. There are advantages to a mechanical thumb wheel, and there are different advantages to a touch sensor (gesture detection).